The Walks
Old Town Heritage Walk
This walk showcases Dunedin's iconic public buildings and includes entry to St Paul's Cathedral, First Church and Dunedin Railway Station. We also explore forgotten places and discuss aspects of Dunedin's colourful social history.
A Scottish Free Church settlement, Dunedin has been shaped by diverse groups and individuals. Learn about Dunedin's Maori, English, Chinese and Lebanese communities, about the pivotal goldrush years, about our Jewish legacy, and about student pranksters and Milkbar Cowboys.
10.30am and 4.30pm departures from the Dunedin i-SITE Visitor Centre, daily except Sundays.
Note that this walk finishes at Dunedin Railway Station. All-day carparking is available immediately north and south of the station, which is a 5 minute walk from our start-point at the i-SITE.
Beautiful Dunedin Scenic Walk
This walk starts at the i-SITE and follows Dunedin's pretty Town Belt (protected woodland) north, past fine old homes and gardens. A highlight of this walk is a stopover at Olveston garden.
Bus back to The Octagon with your guide (bus fare included in walk tariff), or take the opportunity to explore North Dunedin, where highlights include Otago University, Otago Museum, and Dunedin Botanic Garden. Note: your guide can supply information about these attractions, but he will leave you to explore the attractions on your own!
2pm departures from the i-SITE, daily except Sundays.
Reasonable level of fitness and mobility required (see FAQs below).
FAQs
Q. How hard are the walks?
A. The Old Town Heritage Walk is easy, with only basic fitness and mobility required. The Beautiful Dunedin Scenic Walk is more of a workout, being of moderate difficulty, and requiring reasonable fitness and mobility.
Q. How long will they take?
A. The Old Town Heritage Walk takes 90 minutes - 2 hours. The Beautiful Dunedin Scenic Walk takes a full 2 hours (longer if you choose to finish by exploring North Dunedin on your own).
Q. Should we bring anything?
A. You'll need comfortable footwear. It's a good idea to wear sunscreen. The weather here is changeable, so you should also bring a coat and a hat! Bring your camera.
Q. Where do the walks start?
A. All of our walks depart from the Dunedin i-SITE Visitor Centre. This season, the i-SITE is located in new premises in Princes Street, immediately adjacent to The Octagon. Please see the note about this in the News section of our homepage.
Q. Where can we park?
A. There are all-day carparking areas immediately north and south of Dunedin Railway Station. Also, there are two parking buildings in Moray Place, close to The Octagon.
Q. Do you offer walks all year round?
A. No, at this stage we offer regular departures only during the season (October-April). We hope to extend our operating season in future years. In the meantime, if your group would like to do a walk outside the season, contact us in advance anyway and we may be able to help.
Cost
$NZ 25 Adults
$NZ 10 Children (high-school age)
Bookings
Book through the Dunedin i-SITE (Email visitor.centre@dcc.govt.nz Phone +64 3 474 3300), or directly via our Contact page or NZ Freephone 0800 92 55 71.
Tickets should be purchased from the i-SITE when you arrive in Dunedin (note: the guide can accept direct cash payment in $NZ, but any EFTPOS or credit card transactions must be processed at the i-SITE).